RICHMOND HILL – To help slow the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, the Government of Ontario announced the province will return to the modified version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen, effective Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. for at least 21 days (until January 26, 2022), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators.

As a result, residents should be aware of the following: 

What’s Closing/Cancelled Effective January 5

• The main Municipal Offices (225 East Beaver Creek Road) and Operations Centre (1200 Elgin Mills Road East) will close to the public, but residents can access many City services online or by phone.
• All community centres, pools, fitness centres and arenas will close, except for athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and select professional and elite amateur sport leagues. Rental permits will be cancelled and refunded. No new permits will be issued until further notice.
• Fitness memberships will be put on hold.
• All indoor in-person and drop-in recreation programs are cancelled. Program registrants will be contacted with alternative options where available. Credits or refunds will be issued.
• Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts will close to the public, with limited exceptions for rehearsals and recorded/broadcasted performances. Refunds will be issued to those impacted.
• Heritage Centre, McConaghy Centre and Richmond Hill David Dunlap Observatory will close.

City staff will contact program registrants, fitness members and permit holders directly in the coming days with more information.

What’s Open

• Richmond Hill Public Library branches will remain open at 50 per cent capacity. All library locations will switch to reduced hours as of January 5 and all programs will switch to a virtual format for the remainder of January. Visit rhpl.ca/reopening for more information.
• Parks, playgrounds, off-leash dog areas and trails, including our Winter Lights display at Richmond Green Park’s heritage walkway, remain open. Note that winter walking and hiking trails are slippery when snow and ice are present, so proceed with caution.
• Virtual and outdoor recreation programswill continue. Registration is open at RichmondHill.ca/RecGuide.

The Access Richmond Hill contact centre is available to respond to general inquiries by email at access@richmondhill.ca or by phone at 905-771-8800 during business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). Residents can also submit an inquiry using our online portal. Customer service staff will be working remotely. In-person service will not be available.

Gathering Limits

The province has reduced social gathering limits to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.

Shop Safe, Support Local 

Additional restrictions have been placed on restaurants, retail and other businesses. Residents can support our small businesses and restaurants by shopping local online or for curbside pickup. You can also help local businesses by:

• Buying gift cards online for future use
• Liking, sharing and commenting on the social posts of local businesses
• Taking photos of your purchases from local businesses and tagging them on social media
• Posting a positive review of your favourites on Yelp, Google or Facebook

Visit RichmondHill.ca/ShopLocal for more information. 

Help keep our community safe

Residents are further reminded that you can help slow the spread of COVID-19 by doing the following:

• Get vaccinated, including your third booster shot, as soon as you are eligible
• Maintain physical distancing of at least two metres from others
• Wear a mask or face covering indoors, as well as outdoors if you cannot physical distance
• Wash your hands thoroughly and often
• Stay home if you’re sick, even with mild symptoms

Updates and information on the City’s response to COVID-19, including a complete list of what’s open and closed, is available online at RichmondHill.ca/COVID19. 

MEDIA CONTACT
Kathleen Graver, Manager of Strategic Communications, kathleen.graver@richmondhill.ca